Cracking the Bloods sex ring

Six months ago, a Bronx sex worker called the police fearing that her pimps would beat her after assaulting another woman in a hotel.

The women and the pimp were gone by the time cops arrived — but the tip was just enough to start an investigation that ended Wednesday with the arrest of six Blood gang members on a host of prostitution, sex trafficking and child sex trafficking charges.

The suspects were indicted on Dec. 3, as were two others who are already in custody on other charges. A ninth suspect is being sought, authorities said.

Police were able to rescue four victims, ages 16 to 24, from what NYPD Lt. Christopher Sharpe described as “survival sex” — with girls or young women turning tricks to make ends meet because they came from broken homes, were uneducated or had no job prospects.

One of the victims is now an adult but started as a sex worker at the age of 12, said Sharpe, who used to run the NYPD’s trafficking team and now works in the Chief of Detectives office.

Police believe the prostitution ring — run out of several hotels in different parts of the Bronx — was in operation for two or three years. Each sex worker was expected to service up to about six men a night, each paying $150 an hour, said police.

Detective Denis Regimbal said the suspects used recruiters who would scope the street or social media for victims.

“They would get them to come to a party, usually at a hotel,” Regimbal said. “And they would have them start that day, through force, if necessary.”

Regimbal said that even though the tipster didn’t decide to fully cooperate until last month, her tip led to the discovery of juvenile prostitution advertisements.

“Some of the phone numbers associated with these prostitution ads belonged to the subjects who were arrested,” he said.